Marine Sgt. Nava graduated from the TTA program and is now employed at Northrup Grumman, where he has to suit up every day before entering the "clean room" where he works on satellites
(Christine Romo/ABC News)
"I hear sounds sometimes, or smells, and it brings me back to a moment over there in Iraq," he said. Nava has also had incidents in which he feels as if he is being followed, only to realize he is no longer in Iraq but safely in his home.
While recovering from his accident at the Balboa Park facility, Nava began treatment for his combat-related PTSD, which he said has improved greatly.
He also enrolled in the Transition Training Academy.
"I had no set expectations," he said of the class. "But I picked it up real fast." So fast that Nava is now a special test equipment engineer for Northrup Grumman. He is now able to provide for his family, and his work is helping him heal.
And he's thankful to Northrup Grumman and the TTA program for giving him a renewed sense of purpose.
"I'm not necessarily boots on the ground like I was before, but I'm helping," he said. "They gave me a future."
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